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List:       kde-freeqt
Subject:    Re: [freeqt] Licensing problem with the QPL and more
From:       Stephan Kulow <coolo () kde ! org>
Date:       1998-11-24 23:44:27
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Carl Thompson wrote:
> 
> 
> What if Linus Torvalds had thought that he shouldn't clone the functionality
> and API of Unix(tm) because it would be "rude" to holders of the trademark
> and those who profit from selling Unix systems?
> 
I know I'm spreading FUD with this, but:

If you clone even the product of an free software company (as RMS titled
them!),
do you think, that will attract more or less companies to join the
market?
Producing free software is something we all want from companies - so why
would
you like to harm them by taking them out of buisiness for making money
from it?

I don't get your points. Everyone tells me, that companies are only
allowed
to make money from support of free software, not the software itself.
Ok, so
what? Take the windows version as support for their UNIX users and
you're done.
And as people pointed out: QPL is very close to GPL in what it means to
its
users. 

I can see Oliver's point in not liking the patch clause, because to
write
a patch to make qt multithread safe would be a pain :) But Oliver is
exceptional
in this case (and many others as well I would say in deep respect ;-)

Troll Tech honoured with this step the so called Open Source Community
(which
I'm not sure it exists), so why would you piss in their face for it? I
know,
it's a commercial company, but as much as RedHat I would say. RedHat
creates
free software and sells the service to press it on CD and the support
for it.
And TT sells the service to have a windows version and the support for
their
product. 

As a side note: would it be possible for me to rerelease the code I'm
written
definitly on my own under the CGL ("don't use it against TT!")?. I
really would
like to.

Greetings, Stephan

-- 
Du musst weiterkaempfen bis zum Umfallen! Und wenn die ganze
Welt 'nen Arsch offen hat oder gerade deswegen. - K. Wecker

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